(File Photo taken by Frank Sparks)

PITTSBURGH, PA – After deliberating for two days, a federal jury found companies operating two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes, Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services, LLC, d/b/a Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center (Brighton) and Mt. Lebanon Operations, LLC, d/b/a Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center (Mt. Lebanon), guilty of making false statements in connection with the payment of health care benefits and for the purpose of obstructing
and impeding the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Brighton was convicted of six counts and Mt. Lebanon was convicted of four counts. Brighton and Mt. Lebanon were tried before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional individual defendants were acquitted.
Evidence presented at trial established that Brighton and Mt. Lebanon falsified staffing information provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and CMS to show that the facilities were in compliance with the conditions of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. The false certifications were provided to evade penalties that the government regulators could have imposed for failing to meet those conditions, including the condition that the facilities provide sufficient staffing to meet the needs of the residents.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for a date to be set in May, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years’ probation, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen R. Kaufman, Nicole A. Stockey, Karen Gal-Or, Jacqueline C. Brown, and Robert S. Cessar, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Aaron McKendry.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the convictions of the nursing
facilities in this case.

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, Tom Young from 1st Consultants, Inc. in Beaver will join Eddy Crow on “Teleforum” and co-host a guest segment on 99.3 FM and 1230 WBVP to talk about Macroeconomics and thinking rightly equals success. Scoundrels of Finance discussion. Tune in to find out the answers to your questions. The special show starts at 9:10 A.M. as part of an ongoing monthly series of multi media forums.

Change your mindset and you change the future.

Tune in on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. The special multi media presentation begins at 9:10 A.M. on Beaver County Radio.

You can participate in the show by calling 724-843-1888 or 724-774-1888. You can also ask your questions on Facebook Live.

Click the picture below on Tuesday’s showtime of 9:10 A.M. to be directed to the WBVP and WMBA Facebook page where the special multi media simulcast will be streamed on Facebook Live.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published December 18, 2023 9:33 A.M.

(Chippewa Township, Pa) An accident occurred along Darlington Road in Chippewa last night. Emergency responders were called to the scene around 9:30pm. The dispatch call stated that a vehicle struck a pole and that there were injuries. We have no additional information at this time.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published December 18, 2023 9:31 A.M.

(Beaver Falls, Pa) Emergency crews were called to the 11th Street Hill in Beaver Falls Sunday. Initial reports indicate that the vehicle rolled over and had entrapment. There is no additional information at this time.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published December 18, 2023 9:29 A.M.

(Hanover, Township, Pa) State Police in beaver released information on an accident that took place in Hanover Township in late November. The report states that 41 year old Clayton Barile was traveling eastbound on Lincoln Highway before losing control and striking an embankment. Barile admitted to Troopers that he had been drinking and was arrested for suspicion of DUI. No injuries were reported.

FILE – United States Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa. is shown on Feb. 26, 2019. U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. Nippon, which will pay $55 per share for U.S. Steel, said Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 that the deal will bolster its manufacturing and technology capabilities. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. Nippon, which will pay $55 per share for U.S. Steel, said Monday that the deal will bolster its manufacturing and technology capabilities. It will also expand Nippon’s production in the U.S. and add to its positions in Japan, India and the ASEAN region.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published December 18, 2023 9:20 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) Fans, parents, residents, and onlookers lined main Street in Aliquippa Saturday before the 1 p.m. parade honoring the QUIPS began. The Aliquippa Fire and Police Departments led the parade.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a bipartisan basis and sent the measure to President Biden. Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) voted for the measure as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and now celebrates its important wins for servicemembers, safety, and defense contractor transparency in this final version.

After supporting a bipartisan NDAA in committee, Congressman Deluzio voted against a partisan version of the measure on the House Floor that included right-wing policy riders and other culture war nonsense. This final version of the NDAA unfortunately included a temporary reauthorization (without reforms) of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which Congressman Deluzio believes needs reform to better protect Americans’ liberty.

“Although far from perfect, I voted for this year’s defense bill to give our servicemembers a raise, better support military families, address our most pressing national security challenges, and increase defense contractor accountability and transparency,” said Rep. Deluzio. “It also includes my amendments to improve safety for servicemembers and the public—with funds to clean up PFAS contamination at National Guard and Air National Guard facilities—and to require a report on rail safety and other transportation network vulnerabilities.”

More specifically, the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA includes the following measures:

• A 5.2% servicemember pay raise proposed in the President’s budget request.
• Expanded eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, the program that provides funds for food, housing, and other social services for members of the military.
• Investments in military family housing, child development centers, and upgrades to outdated military barracks.
• Expanded Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) eligibility for federal employees.
• Representative Deluzio’s amendment to provide the National Guard and Air National Guard facilities—such as the 171st Air Refueling Wing, which is one of the worst PFAS-contaminated bases in Pennsylvania—access to funds used for environmental restoration efforts including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) cleanup.
• Representative Deluzio’s amendment to hold accountable companies that refuse to provide uncertified cost and pricing data. This amendment will fight back against defense contractor price gouging by directing the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment to develop a framework for refining the parameters of what would constitute a denial of uncertified cost or pricing data under section 3705 of title 10, United States Code.
• Representative Deluzio’s amendment requiring a report identifying rail and other transportation network vulnerabilities and providing recommendations for interagency coordination, programs, or statutory changes to improve and maintain such strategic railways, highways, and seaports associated with national defense.
• A statement that the U.S. policy is to have as soon as practicable 355 battle force ships and that the shipbuilding defense industrial base is fundamental to achieving the shipbuilding requirements of the Navy and constitutes a unique national security imperative that requires sustainment and support by the Navy and Congress.
• Increased oversight of equipment provided to foreign countries by requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide reports on how equipment use is monitored.

The bill now heads to President Biden for his signature and includes many other important items.

HARRISBURG— The Senate of Pennsylvania last night unanimously passed critical legislation to save children’s lives.  Senate Bill 55, also known as Kayden’s Law, is legislation that provides urgently needed reform to Pennsylvania’s child custody statute. The bi-partisan legislation is sponsored by Senators Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and Lisa Baker (R-20), and is named for Kayden Mancuso, a seven-year-old from Lower Makefield Township, who was killed in August 2018 by her biological father during a court-ordered, unsupervised visit granted following a year-long custody dispute.

“Kayden’s Law will ensure the safety of the child is paramount in custody cases and will save children’s lives,” said Senator Santarsiero.  “No child in Pennsylvania should fear for their safety or be left alone with an abuser.  Kayden’s Law will help ensure that never happens again by requiring supervised visitation at a minimum when there is a potential risk to the child’s safety.”

“One of the most difficult and wrenching decisions local courts must make is in awarding child custody in divorce cases,” said Senator Baker.  “Judges must sort through a variety of allegations and conflicting contentions in order to determine what arrangement is in the best interests of the child. With the passage of Kayden’s Law, we are updating the criteria courts must consider before custody of a child is awarded, including adding seven crimes to the list of offenses that must be taken into account when rendering judgement.”

Senate Bill 55 will:

• Strengthen the current factors that judges must consider in making custody and visitation decisions, to make it clear that the most important issue is the protection of the child;
• Ensure that if there is a finding by the court of an ongoing risk of abuse, that any custody order includes safety conditions and restrictions necessary, including supervised visitation, to protect the child; and
• Encourage the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to implement an annual educational and training program for judges and relevant court personnel on child abuse, adverse childhood experiences, domestic violence, and its impact on children.

Sen. Santarsiero continued, “Kayden’s Law has been a years-long collaborative effort, led by the tireless advocacy of Kayden’s mom Kathy Sherlock, along with family law advocates and experts.  Kathy’s strength and dedication have continued to motivate me to push for this legislation and get it to Governor Shapiro’s desk to be signed into law. I want to thank my colleague, Sen. Lisa Baker, for her partnership in writing the bill and helping it get through the Senate. I also want to thank my House colleagues Tina Davis and Perry Warren for their work on this issue.”

“Every day children are at risk of being ordered to remain in abusive, unsafe and deadly situations,” Kathy Sherlock said. “I vowed to do whatever it took to protect children and have found support from so many on this journey and with today’s overwhelming vote for Kayden’s Law we are one step closer to fulfilling our mission of ‘not one more’.”

Senate Bill 55 now moves to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration.